I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

Shandong, Jiaxiang County, Zongsheng Temple.

Today is the day when the Zeng family pays homage to their ancestor Zeng Shen.

Early in the morning, Zeng Hong, the No. 60 head of the Zeng family, led several hundred members of the direct lineage of the Zeng family to the Zongsheng Temple outside Jiaxiang County to make final preparations for the upcoming sacrifice.

Zongsheng Temple was first built in the 55th year of King Zhou Kao. It was originally named "Zhongxiao Temple". It was rebuilt in the ninth year of Ming Zhengtong and changed to "Zongsheng Temple". , Zongshengmen, Zongshengdian and so on.

At this moment, Zeng Hong looked at the orderly and busy members of the Zeng clan in the Zongsheng Hall, and couldn't help stroking their beards, with a gratified smile on his face.

Since he became the patriarch of the Zeng clan, the Zeng family has not only gained more allies in the court, but also more and more people who came here for their fame and volunteered to serve the land.

In addition, before the sea ban was lifted, the Zeng family also had an inexplicable relationship with the smuggling families along the southeast coast.

In short, by virtue of smuggling and getting involved in business, the Zeng family made a lot of money in the process.

At this moment, after looking around, Zeng Hong called a clansman and asked with a gloomy face.

"By the way, what about the people from the Nanzong branch, why didn't I see them coming?"

"Patriarch, not long ago, Zeng Xian, the patriarch of the branch of the Southern Sect, sent someone to inform us that something was delayed on the road and he might come later."

After listening to the report of this clansman, Zeng Hong was suddenly furious, and immediately reprimanded him.

"Hmph, the branch of the Southern Sect is really getting more and more presumptuous. Don't they know that today is the day to worship the ancestors?"

"It's almost time now, really, hurry up and send someone to urge them, don't waste the time!"

The former member of the Zeng clan saw the patriarch's words, so he didn't dare to neglect the slightest, and responded repeatedly.

"Yes, patriarch, I will send the family's children to inform the people from the branch of the Southern Sect to come as soon as possible!"

Hearing this, Zeng Hong nodded slightly, and immediately stepped out of the Zongsheng Hall.

The weather today is exceptionally clear, with not a single cloud in the blue sky.

On the square outside the Zongsheng Hall, there is a huge long table covered with red cloth, three animals and six animals used to sacrifice ancestors, and ancestral tablets with words such as ancestor Zengshen are placed.

In addition, beside the long table, there is an incense burner with extremely complicated patterns all over the body. Since today it is used to worship ancestors, everything around has been redecorated and repaired, even the old copper bell, It had also been reupholstered and hung with red silk.

Seeing the arrival of Zeng Hong, the No. 60 patriarch of the Zeng clan, those members of the Zeng clan felt honored, and immediately dealt with the affairs at hand even more diligently.

At this moment, Zeng Xian, the patriarch of the Nanzong branch, rushed to the Zongsheng Temple with his tribe.

As soon as he entered the Zongsheng Temple, Zeng Xian saw the figure of Zeng Hong, the No. 60 head of the main family.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zeng Xian immediately stepped forward, knelt down in front of Zeng Hong with a 'plop', and said respectfully.

"The lineage of the branch of the Southern Sect has appeared, and I have met the patriarch!"

Zeng Hong looked at Zeng Xian who was kneeling in front of him, nodded, and immediately helped him up from the ground, and said slowly.

"Well, did something happen on the way?"

When Zeng Xian heard the words, a look of shame appeared on his face in due time, and he spoke to Zeng Hong.

"Patriarch, to be honest, the reason why the branch of the Southern Sect came late this time is really helpless!"

When Zeng Xian said this, he immediately turned his eyes to the few disciples of the Zeng family and gave instructions.

"Zeng Qing, Zeng Ming, you two, go and bring the things over!"

"Yes, patriarch!"

As soon as Zeng Xian's words fell, the two members of the Zeng clan who had been called by him earlier immediately turned serious and responded respectfully.

Not long after this, under the command of Zeng Qing and Zeng Ming, a gold-plated statue of Zeng Can was carried into the Zongsheng Temple with the efforts of more than a dozen strong men.

Zeng Hong looked at the statue of Zeng Shen, which was nearly two people tall, and was speechless for a while in surprise.

After a long time, Zeng Hong just came back to his senses, pointing his trembling fingers at the statue of Zeng Shen, who was as tall as two people and covered in gold, and asked.

"Is this the reason why your branch of the Southern Sect came late?"

Zeng Xian on the side heard Zeng Hong's words, nodded quite firmly, and responded with words.

"Well, that's right, Patriarch, it was precisely because of the need to transport the statue of the ancestor that we were delayed on the road for some time, you see..."

Hearing this, Zeng Hong immediately withdrew his eyes from the statue of Zeng Shen, stroked his beard, his face was full of satisfaction, and immediately said to himself.

"It doesn't matter, your Nanzong branch is really caring!"

After that, everyone exchanged a few more pleasantries. At this moment, a member of the Zeng clan came to Zeng Hong and spoke carefully.

"Patriarch, it's almost time, you see?"

Upon hearing this, Zeng Hong waved his hands quite casually, and immediately gave instructions.

"Well, without further ado, let's start now!"

Seeing that the sacrifice was about to begin, Zeng Xian, the patriarch of the Nanzong branch, took his clansmen to the designated location and waited.

At this moment, only the sound of gongs and drums sounded, and the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became extremely enthusiastic. All the members of the Zeng clan present looked enthusiastically at the Zeng clan whose back was facing them, No. 60 The first patriarch, Zeng Hong.

"Please clean your hands, Patriarch!"

After Zeng Hong put his hand in the copper basin for a while, he immediately raised his hand. The members of the Zeng clan who had been waiting at the side immediately stepped forward and respectfully handed over the silk scarf.

After Zeng Hong wiped off all the remaining water stains on his hands, he took three burning incense sticks from the tribesmen at the side, and walked towards the long table with a solemn expression.

'Boom boom boom! '

When Zeng Hong walked to the long table covered with red cloth, only three dull bells rang.

Seeing this situation, Zeng Hong solemnly bowed to Zeng Shen's memorial tablet three times. After doing this, Zeng Hong got up from the ground and began to silently recite the sacrificial oration in his heart.

"The ancestors are above, the descendants are not filial, the Zeng clan, the first patriarch of No.60, Zeng Hong, wishes you..."

Time passed by like this, just as Zeng Hong was about to insert the three sticks of incense in his hand into the incense burner, a sudden change occurred.

Outside the Zongsheng Temple, there was an endless sound of horseshoes and the sound of swords being unsheathed.

"Surround this place to me, don't let anyone go!"

"Yes, my lord!"

A moment later, countless guard soldiers in full armor and wearing armor entered from the Zongsheng gate, and controlled all the hundreds of Zeng clan members who came to participate in this sacrificial ceremony.

When Zeng Hong saw this situation, he seemed to be greatly frightened, and even the three sticks of incense in his hand fell to the ground with a 'click'.

Immediately, after he reacted, his face was full of gloom, and he turned his eyes to the guards and reprimanded them.

"You guys are so brave. Who ordered you to disrupt my Zeng family's ancestor worship ceremony?"

"Say it!"

Because of being too angry, at this moment, Zeng Hong's chest heaved violently, his breathing became rapid, and his eyes fixed on everyone, as if they were about to spew out fire.

Not long after, Hai Rui walked leisurely into Zengsheng Temple with his hands behind his back. Behind him was Zhang Yuan, commander of the capital, and a group of people from Jinyiwei.

Seeing that the official uniform Hai Rui was wearing was of high rank, Zeng Hong could only suppress his anger, patiently turned his gaze to Hai Rui, and asked.

"The next is Zeng Clan, No.60's first patriarch Zeng Hong, my lord, when my Zeng Clan worshiped ancestors, he brought troops over and surrounded my Zeng Clan, not to mention, how dare you use weapons in the Zongsheng Temple? "

"If your lord can't come up with a reasonable and legal explanation today, then don't blame the old man for reporting the truth to the court!"

After hearing Zeng Hong's threatening words, Hai Rui's expression didn't change too much. Instead, he turned his gaze to Zeng Hong, and spoke to himself.

"I'm the left deputy censor, Shi Hai Rui, sent by the imperial court to investigate the case. I came here this time because I found out that your Zeng family has colluded with the White Lotus Sect. I came here on purpose to arrest you!"

After Hai Rui finished speaking, he turned his gaze away from Zeng Hong, and immediately asked back.

"Why, isn't this official's reason enough?"

At this moment, after listening to Hai Rui's words, Zeng Hong's complexion was pale and his whole body was trembling.

Because before that, he had already received news that the imperial court had sent an extremely difficult official to Shandong to investigate the case.

At first, Zeng Hong thought that this Hai Rui was just sent by the court to investigate the corruption of officials, so he didn't take it seriously, but now this Hai Rui stood in front of him and said bluntly that the Zeng family and The White Lotus Sect has something to do with it.

Zeng Hong knew very well in his heart that even though the Zeng family was already extremely prominent, if it was proved that they had colluded with the White Lotus Sect, then everything would come to naught. After all, colluding with the White Lotus Sect is a blatant capital crime!
At that time, no matter who came forward, they would not be able to keep the Zeng family, and they could only end up with their family ransacked and exterminated!
Thinking of this, Zeng Hong's original aggressive attitude softened instantly. After sorting out the words in his mind, he turned to Hai Rui and said softly.

"My lord, have you misunderstood? My Zeng family hates the White Lotus Sect. What's more, my Zeng family is deeply favored by the emperor. How could they do such a thing that digs their own grave?"

"There must be a villain who framed my Zeng family behind my back. I hope you can find out the truth and give my Zeng family justice!"

When Zeng Hong said this, tears were already streaming down his face, and everyone who heard it made tears of sadness.

Hai Rui saw that Zeng Hong was about to die, so he immediately looked at Xiao Er, his bodyguard, and gave orders.

"Show him the confession!"

Hearing this, Xiao Er couldn't help showing a hint of worry on his face, and said slowly.

"My lord, is there something wrong with this? What if that Zeng Hong destroys the evidence?"

After Xiao Er's words fell, Guan Rui, who was at the side of Jinyiwei Baihu, also followed up with admonishing words.

"Yes, my lord, is this too risky?"

On the other hand, Hai Rui looked confident and ordered in a deep voice.

"It's okay, give him your mouth!"

Seeing that Hai Rui gave the order, Xiao Er had no choice but to step forward and bring the confessions of those White Lotus Sect members to Zeng Hong.

Due to the long distance between the two parties, Zeng Hong didn't hear clearly the previous discussion between Hai Rui and the others, but he took the statement from Xiao Er with a suspicious expression on his face.

After Zeng Hong finished browsing the content of the confession, he immediately became angry, because the confession had the signatures of those members of the White Lotus Sect, so its authenticity was naturally beyond doubt.

Immediately afterwards, Zeng Hong, with his selective and devouring eyes, cast a fierce glance at the members of the Zeng family headed by Zeng Xian who belonged to the branch of the Southern Sect not far away.

As soon as those people met Zeng Hong's gaze, they all lowered their heads in shame.

Seeing this situation, Zeng Hong also fully understood that this matter is not groundless, but the evidence is conclusive!

After that, Zeng Hong's brain was running fast, and he began to think about the next countermeasures.

"It's nothing more than this group of idiots colluding with the White Lotus Sect, but they actually got caught!"

"Now maybe the Lord's family will be implicated. They are really a bunch of trash who have not accomplished enough and have more than failed. Why don't you get rid of the relationship now?"

At this moment, Zeng Hong's eyes accidentally caught the confession in his hand, and in desperation, a bold idea emerged in his mind.

"How about I take this opportunity to destroy this evidence and give him a death sentence!"

Just as Zeng Hong made up his mind and planned to act on this, he cast a sneaky glance at Hai Rui who was not far away.

He found that Hai Rui's eyes were full of teasing when looking at him, not only that, but also mixed with a hint of anticipation, as if he was looking forward to his next actions.

Seeing this situation, Zeng Hong immediately calmed down, and at the same time he realized how absurd his previous thoughts were.

If I destroyed the evidence here, wouldn't I just fall into Hai Rui's arms? At that time, I would have nothing to say!

Not only that, but he, Hai Rui, can also use this opportunity to implicate him wantonly. At that time, even the main family will not be able to escape the guilt!

After thinking about all this, Zeng Hong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He looked at Hai Rui with vigilance.

"This Hai Rui is indeed very difficult to deal with. Fortunately, he was not impulsive before. Otherwise, the entire Zeng family would have fallen into a doomed situation!"

Not far away, Hai Rui saw that Zeng Hong's movements had stopped, his expression remained unchanged, and said to himself.

"Hmph, this Zeng Hong is quite calm, and he didn't do anything impulsive."

"It's such a pity, otherwise, the entire Zeng family would suffer along with it today!"

Seeing that Zeng Hong didn't make any further moves, Hai Rui shook his head unobtrusively, and immediately gave instructions to Xiao Er who was beside him.

"Bring back the confession!"

"Yes, my lord!" (End of this chapter)